Conveying and cooling apparatus



March 1961 H. M. PRYALE CONVEYING AND COOLING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 17, 1956 mm ON INVENTOR.

HARRY M. PRYALE BY ATTORNEY nited States '7 2,973,770 CONVEYING AND COOLING APPARATUS Harry M. Pryale, Bloomfield Township, Oakland County,

iMich., assignor to BaldwinRiibber Company, Pontiac,

-Mi'ch., a corporation of Michigan Filed Dec. 17, 1956, Ser. No. 628,688

6 Claims. (Cl. 134-122)..

' Another object of the invention is to provide appae ratus asdescribed above for carrying continuous lengths of material such as plastic, rubber or rubber-like materials in the form of sheet, strip, tube, cord or special shapesvby means of a trough or channel having a sufficient incline to carry the material and preferably also having a stream of liquid traveling through the trough to assistmovement. of the material. Still. another object of the invention is to provide ap paratus as described above including a tank atthe disehar'ge end of the trough containingliquid drained from the trough and through which the continuous length of. materialis adapted to pass prior to leaving the apparatus Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds, especially when takenin conjunction with the acc-ompanying.draw-. ing, illustrating apreferred embodiment of the invention, wherein: Fig. 1 is a side elevational view, partly broken away and partlyin section, showing apparatus embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the apparatus shown in. Fig. 1, with parts broken away.

Fig. 3 is' an end elevational view of the apparatus, lookingto theileftin Fig. :1.'

Fig. '4- isf a sectional "view alongthe line viiet on Fig. 1. I l

Referring now, more. particularly toithe. drawing the},

apparatus comprises a, conveyor structure lilsuppaflrted on wheels 11 and h'aving a'bottom wall 12,. sidewalls ll, I

and 16, and rearandirontend walls '18 and 2 0 extending upwardly from the bottom. The assembly is open. at the top except for. the plates 22 .and. 24 which; extend. across the upper extremities of the side walls. The bot; torn wall 12 hasfa1rear section, 26. which is inclined in. a,

downward directionffnom,,therear. towards the front,a t

front section an d -anintermediate connecting section 39, The rear section,26,is.connected to the vertical rearwall 18 bylthe section '32, and the rear wall 18 terminates at its uppei' end in a rearwardly flared lip 34, plate 36 ;-is:se cured.. to. and extends between the side wallsof the structuielirLContinuation of the intermediate bQ'tiOm wall .secti6nf310, and a second plate afi is secured o and, extends between, the side walls. of the structure,

being join-ed atits rear end to the plate 36 and at its :fronfend tottheflfr'ont wall 20.: The bottom ofthe interior of the structure is thus defined by the bottom wall: seetions 26 and 30. and the plates 36 and 38 which are inl' p iant-j "The drain opening 40 is adapted to be closed by a ed ,downwardly to the drain openingv 40 atthe low;

Reie t -M r- 7 196 l' cc plug .42. on. thelower. end of a vertical rod 44. The vertical rod 44fisreciproc able' and rotatable in a vertical sleevetdfi. secured to thei side wall 14 by a strut The upper. end of the rodhas a transverse portion 48 projecting'throughfthe iC-shapedslotfitl in the side wall 14. The. plug -42lis held in its upper or open position when the transverse portion481of therod extends in the upper horizontal -l eg of the slot 50; In order to lower the plug 42 to.aposition'in which itv closes the drain opening 40, the rod 44 is rotated in the sleeve 46' by the exterior. projectingtportion of the transverse rod portion 48 until the transverse porti on is disposed in the vertic ally extending portion of the slot to permit the rod to be lowered.- The rod is then rotated again so that its transverse portion is locked in the lower horizontal leg oftheslot, A

An elongated supporting plate 52 is disposed within the structure and extends from the front wall 20 to a point short. of the rear wall 18. The side edges of the plate 52are secured to the side walls of the structure throughout-the full length of the plate. The plate is flat and has a front horizontal section 54 and a downwardly inclined section 56 extending rearwardly from the front section. The rear end of the inclined section52 terminates in a downwardcurve as indicated at 58.

A fixed transverse wall 60 is disposed Within the structure beneath the rear end of the supporting plate, the transversewall beingsecured at its opposite edges to the side walls l4 and 16 and resting upon the section 2 6 of l the bottom. wall. The transverse Wall 69 is formed with a horizontal series of holes 62 near the bottom. A gate 64 ishinged to thefixed transverse wall by ahinge 66 at the upper end of the fixed gate, the hinge extending transverselyof the structure to permit the gate 64 to be swung rearwardly and upwardly from the position shown. In the position shown, the gate 64 covers the openings 62. The fixed transverse wall 60 cooperates with the sidewalls, the section 26 of the bottom wall, thercurved section 32-and the rear end wall 18 to define a tank 68 for liquid, and the weight of the liquid in the tank is sufficient to maintain the movable gate 64 in closed position to prevent the escape of liquid through the holes :62 in the fixed transverse wall.

A manifold70 is provided which is in the form of a hollow member located at the front end of the supporting plate 52 and extending between the side walls 14 and 16. The manifold is secured in position by a fastener 72 extending through the angle 74 and the side wall 14. The opposite end of the manifold is connected through theside wall 16 to a conduit 76, thelatter in turn being adapted for connection to a suitable source of liquid such as water under pressure.

The manifold is formed with a plurality of nozzle jets 78 extending horizontally and rearwardly from the manifold and communicating with the hollow interior thereof to discharge liquid delivered to the manifold in a plurality of jets or streams directed rearwardly.

A spray tube 80 is provided having the longitudinal section 82 within the structure and the transverse sections 84 at opposite ends of the longitudinal section and projecting exteriorly of the structure through the openings 86 in theside wall 16. The sections 84 of the spray tube are connected by. couplings 88 to the generally up right sections 910,, the lower ends of which are hinged to the side wall 16 by brackets 92. One end M of the spray tube is adapted tobe connected to a source of liquid such as water under pressure and the other end is closed by a cap 96. The longitudinal section 80 of the spray tube is formedlwith a plurality of openings 98 in its under side to discharge liquid in the 'spray tube downwardly onto the supportingplate SZ.

The spray tube normally assumes the position illustrated in which the longitudinal section 80 overlies the supporting plate 52 approximately midway between the side edges thereof. Abutments 99 on the side wall 16 engage the spray tube to determine this position. However, the spray tube may be rocked laterallyoutwardly to a position in which the intermediate section 80 engages the side wall 16 to enable initially placing alength of material 100 on the supporting plate. The material 100 may, for example, be plastic, rubber or rubber-like material and is shown coming from suitable shaping or forming equipment 101. The plates 22 and 24 .are connected to the side walls by fasteners 102 and may be readily removed for thus initially placing a lengthof material on the supporting plate 52.

The front end wall 20 is formed with a recess 104 at the top to permit the entrance of a continuous length of material to the structure. I

In operation, the plates 22 and 24 are initially removed and the spray tube rocked to one side of the supporting plate 52 to enable the continuous length of material 100 to be placed on the supporting plate. The spray tube will then be rocked back to the position shown and plates 22 and 24 replaced. The continuous length of material will normally come from the usual shaping equipment rolls or extruder dies indicated diagrammatically at 101, and will be urged along the supporting surface 52 by such equipment. The manifold 70 will be connected to a suitable source of liquid such as water under pressure to discharge jets of liquid from the nozzles 78 in a rearward direction and beneath the length of material. The fiow of the liquid along the supporting plate 52 together with the incline of the section 56 of the supporting plate will assist in the movement of the length of material rearwardly along the supporting plate. Such movement is assisted not only by the inclined surface of the supporting plate but also by the movement or rearward fiow of the liquid along the supporting plate, as well as the force .of the rearwardly directed stream from nozzles 78 against the underside of the length of material. The liquid also has a buoyant and lubricating action to facilitate the movement of the length of material.

The length of material will move continuously along the supporting plate due to the impulse of the forming equipment from which it comes and with the assistance of the liquid and the inclined supporting plate. The length of material will pass from the supporting plate into the tank 68 which is filled to the level indicated by the line 110 with liquid draining from the supporting plate 52. Excess liquid will pass over the transverse wall 60 and be discharged through the drain 40. Should the tank be in a position where facilities are not available for carrying away drainage, the drain opening 40 may be closed.

The section 32 of the tank connecting the bottom wall and end wall is curved to guide and facilitate the movement of the length of material through the tank and up and over the lip 34 of the end wall to any suitable station or equipment such as cutting equipment for example. The buoyant effect of the liquid in the tank will assist in this movement.

During the use of the conveyor, the spray tube is also connected to a suitable source of liquid, such as water, to spray additional liquid on the moving length of material.

The effect of the inclined supporting plate together with the liquid is to convey the material without effecting any stress or distortion of the material. In addition, the material coming from the forming equipment is at a somewhat elevated temperature and the liquid, which is normally ordinary tap water at room temperature below that of the material, has a cooling effect on the material.

The drawing and the foregoing specification constitute a description of the improved conveyor-cascade type in such full, clear, concise and exact terms as toenable any person skilled in the art to practice the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the appended claims.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an elongated assembly having a bottom wall, side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and an end wall at one end of said assembly extending upwardly from said bottom wall and connecting said side walls, means providing a supporting surface extending longitudinally of said assembly between said side walls and above said bottom wall, said supporting surface having a discharge end adjacent but short of the said end wall of said assembly and a receiving end spaced from said discharge end in a direction toward the other end of said assembly, said supporting surface being adapted to support a continuous length of material moving therealong in a direction toward the discharge end thereof, said supporting surface having a downwardly inclined surface extending from a point adjacent its receiving end to its discharge end, means for discharging liquid beneath the length of material at the receiving end of said supporting surface in the direction of movement of the length of material to assist in the movement of the latter along said supporting surface, a gate beneath the discharge end of said supporting surface cooperating with said bottom end and side walls to define a tank open at the top and adapted to contain liquid drained from the discharge end of said supporting surface and adapted to receive the length of material, said bottom and end walls of said assembly being connected by a curved section shaped to guide the moving length of material out of said tank and over the upper edge of said end wall.

2. Portable apparatus of the character described, comprising an elongated wheeled assembly having a bottom 7 wall, side walls extending upwardly from said bottom wall and an end wall at one end of said assembly extending upwardly from said bottom wall and connecting said side walls, means providing a supporting surface extending longitudinally of said assembly between said side walls and above said bottom wall, said supporting surface having a discharge end adjacent but short of the said end wall of said assembly and a receiving end spaced from said discharge end in a direction toward the other end of said assembly, said supporting surface being adapted to support a continuous length of material moving therealong in a direction toward the discharge end thereof, said supporting surface having a downwardly inclined surface extending from a point adjacent its receiving end to its discharge end, a manifold having spaced openings for discharging liquid beneath the length of material at the receiving end of said supporting surface in the direction of movement of the length of material to assist in the movement of the latter along said supporting surface, a gate beneath the discharge end of said supporting surface cooperating with said bottom end, and side walls to define a tank open at the top and adapted to contain liquid drained from the discharge end of said supporting surface and adapted to receive the length of material, said bottom and end walls of said assembly being connected by a curved section shaped to guide the moving length of material out of said tank and over the upper edge of said end wall, means within said assembly at the side of said gate opposite said tank providing a receptacle for excess liquid from said tank overflowing said gate, a drain outlet for said receptacle and valve means for opening and closing said drain outlet.

3. Apparatus as defined in claim 2 including a spray tube over said supporting surface for spraying additional liquid on the length of material, said spray tube being pivoted to said assembly for movement thereof to one side of said supporting surface to facilitate initial placejrEnent of the length of material on said supporting surace.

4. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an elongated assembly having upright laterally spaced side walls and an end wall connecting said side walls at a receiving end spaced from said discharge end in a direction toward the other end of said assembly, said supporting surface being adapted to support a continuous length of material moving therealong in a direction toward the discharge end thereof, said supporting surface having a downwardly inclined section extending to its discharge end, means for establishing a flow of liquid on said supporting surface downwardly along the inclined section thereof to assist the movement of the length of material along said supporting surface, a transverse wall beneath the discharge end of said supporting surface and a bottom wall connecting said side and end walls andsaid tfansverse wall and cooperating therewith to define a tank open at the top and adapted to contain liquid drained from the discharge end of said supporting surface and adapted to receive the length of material, said bottom and end walls at their juncture defining a curved section shaped to guide the moving length of material out of said tank and over the upper edge of said end wall, said transverse wall being connected at its edgesto said side and bottom walls and formed with passage means at the bottom of said tank to drain said tank, and means for closing said passage means.

5. Apparatus as in claim 4 in which the means for closing said passage means comprises a member with; in said tank hinged at its upper edge to said transverse wall above said passage means and swingable toward and away from a normal position closing said passage means, said hinged member being yieldably held in its normal position by the pressure of liquid in said tank.

6. Apparatus of the character described, comprising an elongated assembly having upright laterally spaced side walls and an end wall'connecting said side walls at one end of said assembly, means providing a supporting surface extending longitudinally of said assembly be-.

tween said side walls and beneath the upper edges thereof, said supporting surface having a discharge end adjacent but short of said end wall of said assembly and a receiving end spaced from said discharge end in a direc tion toward the other end of said assembly, said supporting surface being adapted to support a continuous length of material moving therealong in a direction toward the discharge end thereof, said supporting surface having a downwardly inclined section extending to its discharge end, means for establishing a How of liquid on said supporting surface downwardly along the inclined section thereof to assist the movement of the length of material along said supporting surface, a transverse wall beneath the discharge end of said supporting surface and a bottom wall connecting said side and end walls and said transverse wall and cooperating therewith to define a tank open at the top and adapted to contain liquid drained from the discharge end of said supporting surface and adapted to receive the length of material, the discharge end of said supporting surface being open and vented to atmosphere to facilitate the free flow of liquid along said supporting surface, said bottom and end walls at their juncture defining a curved section shaped to guide the moving length of material out of said tank and over the upper edge of said end wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 31,361 Washburn Feb. 5, 1861 445,691 Cummins Feb. 3, 1891 803,097 De Laney Oct. 31, 1905 1,189,367 Levi July 4, 1916 1,648,196 Rohmer Nov. 8, 1927 1,837,159 Fellows Dec. 15, 1931 1,944,798 Mellor Jan. 23, 1934 2,267,036 McArthur Dec. 23, 1941 2,642,369 Hunter et al. June 16, 1953 

